The Coalition Government has scrapped plans to allow Catholics, or anyone married to a Catholic, to ascend the Throne.
At the beginning of last year, the Labour Government hinted that they may get rid of the 1701 Act of Settlement.
But now the new Tory/Liberal Democrat Government has announced there are "no current plans" to change the laws.
This has inevitably angered Catholics throughout the United Kingdom.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the leader of Scotland's Roman Catholic Church, and Joseph Devine, the Bishop of Motherwell, have accused the Prime Minister of discrimination against Catholics, and of demonstrating "arrogance and disdain". This is despite the fact that, surely, the British Monarch, as Head of the Church of England, must therefore be Church of England.
The 1701 Act of Settlement, passed during the reign of William III, was designed to ensure that the deposed James II, who was a Catholic and William III's uncle and father-in-law, could not re-take the Throne, and nor could any of his Catholic descandants.
The Protestant William III, who was formerly Holland's Prince of Orange, "invaded" England in 1688 and deposed the unpopular Catholic Monarch James II, who reigned at a time when Catholics were deeply mistrusted in England.
However, this didn't stop James II, who tried to rule as an Absolute Monarch like his father Charles I did, from trying to reclaim the Throne. He was aided by his followers, known as Jacobites, but he was ultimately defeated by Williamite forces at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 - a victory still celebrated by Protestants in Northern Ireland today during the Orange Order Parade.
In 1745, James II's grandson (and the nephew of Queen Anne and Queen Mary II, who were James II's daughters), Charles Edward Stuart - known as Bonnie Prince Charlie - invaded England from Scotland and tried to march to London to install himself as king and reclaim the Throne for the Stuarts. But his forces got as far south as Derby before giving up and turning back to Scotland. His forces were ultimately defeated by the Hanoverian British government forces of George II.
Queen Anne was Britain's last Stuart monarch.
However, far from being "discriminatory" towards Catholics, the 1701 Act of Settlement involves just basic common sense. The Act originally focused only on not allowing Catholics on the Throne. However, people such as Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims etc are also not allowed on the British Throne - only someone who is a member of the Church of England can, as the British Monarch is Head of the Church of England. Allowing a Catholic or Muslim on the Throne would mean the bizarre and unfair situation of a Catholic or Muslim being Head of the Church of England.
Also remaining in place are the rules which state that a man takes precedence over a woman in the line of succession.
Catholic leaders criticise PM for backtracking on act of settlement
12 July 2010
By Susan Smith
The Scotsman
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the leader of Scotland's Catholics
LEADERS of Scotland's Catholic Church have attacked David Cameron for backtracking over changes to an historic law that stops Catholics from becoming a British monarch.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the leader of Scotland's Roman Catholic Church, and Joseph Devine, the Bishop of Motherwell, have accused the Prime Minister of discrimination against Catholics, and of demonstrating "arrogance and disdain".
Mr Cameron last year said that he would like to see a change to the rule which disallows a Catholic from becoming King or Queen.
Under the 300-year-old Act of Settlement, an heir to the throne who marries a Catholic will also be barred from inheriting the crown unless their spouse agrees to renounce their faith.
Mr Cameron was thought likely to move forward talks, which began under Gordon Brown, between Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.
U-turn: Prime Minister David Cameron
However, a recent government announcement that there are "no current plans" to change the law have resulted in the angry outburst from the Catholic Church.
"When a monarch is free to marry a Scientologist, Muslim, Buddhist, Moonie or even Satanist but not a Catholic, then there's something seriously wrong," said Bishop Devine.
"What trust and confidence can we have in such a leader? He is barely two months into government and is already showing alarming signs of the arrogance and disdain so often associated with power."
The move undermines relations between the Conservative Party and the Catholic Church in Scotland. It had been thought the party would build on relations with the church in a bid to grow its own support in Scotland. Bishop Devine last year praised Mr Cameron for his stance on family values. He also urged Roman Catholic voters not to support Labour at the last election.
However, Bishop Devine now claims that Mr Cameron's refusal to scrap the historic law is "the latest sell-out of yet another of his pre-election pledges."
He added: "Six million British Catholics will be unforgiving of David Cameron for breaking faith with them and denying them equality before law."
The 1701 Act of Succession
Bonnie Prince Charlie, the grandson of King James II and the great-grandson of King Charles I, invaded England from Scotland in 1745 with his Jacobite Army. His forces intended to march on London and install him as King, but they only got as far south as Derby before turning back. He was ultimately defeated by the Hanoverian British government forces of King George II at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.
The Act of Settlement of 1701 was designed to secure a Protestant succession to the throne following the Glorious Revolution which saw the Catholic James II flee England.
It strengthened the Bill of Rights (1689), which was created to ensure the succession of James' Protestant daughter Mary, who was married to William of Orange (who was also her cousin), and her heirs.
Following the death of Mary and her sister Ann with no living heirs, the act was designed to ensure the succession remained within the Protestant faith, denying the rights of James' Catholic children through his second marriage.
In 1745 the Catholic Bonnie Prince Charlie, James II's grandson, tried to restore his family's right to the throne but was defeated. Since then, no serious attempt has been made to restore a Catholic to the thrown.
The act was a significant move towards constitutional monarchy, as it gave increased powers to government ministers.
King James II, a Catholic, was the son of King Charles I. Like his father, he tried to rule as an Absolute Monarch.
Protestant William, Holland's Prince of Orange, "invaded" England in 1688, deposed the Catholic James II, and had himself crowned King William III. It was known as the Glorious Revolution. William III was James II's nephew, and was married to James II's daughter Mary, who reigned alongside her husband as Mary II - England's only joint monarchy.
Cardinal O'Brien added: "It is quite ironic that the two parties in coalition have both branded themselves champions of equality but have commenced their 'era of equality' by sending a clear message to the Catholic community that they are to be the exception."
The Act of Settlement was passed by the English Parliament in 1701 in a bid to prevent the Catholic son of James II from becoming King. It extended to Scotland after its unification with England in 1707.
Just 9% of people in the United Kingdom are Catholics.
In a recent debate at Westminster, Cabinet Office parliamentary secretary Mark Harper said: "We do not rule out change. We simply argue that, if there is to be a change, it should be thoughtful, and undertaken carefully and with due consideration for our obligations to the other Commonwealth realms of which Her Majesty is Queen.
"We should also have consideration for the consequences not only for the Crown and the succession but for the position of the established Church in this country."
During the debate, several MPs, including Edinburgh North and Leith Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz, urged the government to repeal the act.
The 1701 Act of Settlement
"The point is that this is outdated, discriminatory legislation that should have been repealed years ago," Mr Lazarowicz told The Scotsman yesterday.
"I can well understand the cardinal's disappointment that the new government doesn't seem to be willing to take this forward with any urgency."
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has also criticised Mr Cameron's position
James II was married twice. His first wife was Anne Hyde, who married James in Breda, Holland, in 1659 before he became king (he reigned from 1685-1688 ). Anne was the daughter of Sir Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, who was supposedly the author of the Clarendon Code, which was passed by the Cavalier Parliament during the reign of Charles II and designed to preserve the supremacy of the Church of England. James and Anne had three children together, two daughters and a son. Their daughters eventually became Queen Anne and Queen Mary II, who were raised as Protestants. A couple of years after Anne Hyde's death in 1671 at the age of 33, James then married Mary of Modena. When people began to fear that Mary of Modena would produce a son and heir (a Catholic son and heir), a movement grew to replace James II with his elder daughter Princess Mary and his son-in-law/nephew, William of Orange. When Mary of Modena gave birth to James Francis Edward Stuart in 1688 at St James's Palace in London a rumour immediately spread that the baby was stillborn and an "imposter" baby was secretly smuggled into the bedchamber in a warming pan (these rumours were most likely untrue). When he got older, James Edward Francis Stuart tried to claim the Thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland, and called himself James III of England and Ireland and James VIII of Scotland. Following his death in 1766 he was succeeded by his son Charles Edward Stuart - aka Bonnie Prince Charlie - in the Jacobite Succession.
Catholic leaders criticise PM for backtracking on act of settlement - Scotsman.com News
At the beginning of last year, the Labour Government hinted that they may get rid of the 1701 Act of Settlement.
But now the new Tory/Liberal Democrat Government has announced there are "no current plans" to change the laws.
This has inevitably angered Catholics throughout the United Kingdom.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the leader of Scotland's Roman Catholic Church, and Joseph Devine, the Bishop of Motherwell, have accused the Prime Minister of discrimination against Catholics, and of demonstrating "arrogance and disdain". This is despite the fact that, surely, the British Monarch, as Head of the Church of England, must therefore be Church of England.
The 1701 Act of Settlement, passed during the reign of William III, was designed to ensure that the deposed James II, who was a Catholic and William III's uncle and father-in-law, could not re-take the Throne, and nor could any of his Catholic descandants.
The Protestant William III, who was formerly Holland's Prince of Orange, "invaded" England in 1688 and deposed the unpopular Catholic Monarch James II, who reigned at a time when Catholics were deeply mistrusted in England.
However, this didn't stop James II, who tried to rule as an Absolute Monarch like his father Charles I did, from trying to reclaim the Throne. He was aided by his followers, known as Jacobites, but he was ultimately defeated by Williamite forces at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 - a victory still celebrated by Protestants in Northern Ireland today during the Orange Order Parade.
In 1745, James II's grandson (and the nephew of Queen Anne and Queen Mary II, who were James II's daughters), Charles Edward Stuart - known as Bonnie Prince Charlie - invaded England from Scotland and tried to march to London to install himself as king and reclaim the Throne for the Stuarts. But his forces got as far south as Derby before giving up and turning back to Scotland. His forces were ultimately defeated by the Hanoverian British government forces of George II.
Queen Anne was Britain's last Stuart monarch.
However, far from being "discriminatory" towards Catholics, the 1701 Act of Settlement involves just basic common sense. The Act originally focused only on not allowing Catholics on the Throne. However, people such as Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims etc are also not allowed on the British Throne - only someone who is a member of the Church of England can, as the British Monarch is Head of the Church of England. Allowing a Catholic or Muslim on the Throne would mean the bizarre and unfair situation of a Catholic or Muslim being Head of the Church of England.
Also remaining in place are the rules which state that a man takes precedence over a woman in the line of succession.
Catholic leaders criticise PM for backtracking on act of settlement
12 July 2010
By Susan Smith
The Scotsman
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the leader of Scotland's Catholics
LEADERS of Scotland's Catholic Church have attacked David Cameron for backtracking over changes to an historic law that stops Catholics from becoming a British monarch.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the leader of Scotland's Roman Catholic Church, and Joseph Devine, the Bishop of Motherwell, have accused the Prime Minister of discrimination against Catholics, and of demonstrating "arrogance and disdain".
Mr Cameron last year said that he would like to see a change to the rule which disallows a Catholic from becoming King or Queen.
Under the 300-year-old Act of Settlement, an heir to the throne who marries a Catholic will also be barred from inheriting the crown unless their spouse agrees to renounce their faith.
Mr Cameron was thought likely to move forward talks, which began under Gordon Brown, between Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.
U-turn: Prime Minister David Cameron
However, a recent government announcement that there are "no current plans" to change the law have resulted in the angry outburst from the Catholic Church.
"When a monarch is free to marry a Scientologist, Muslim, Buddhist, Moonie or even Satanist but not a Catholic, then there's something seriously wrong," said Bishop Devine.
"What trust and confidence can we have in such a leader? He is barely two months into government and is already showing alarming signs of the arrogance and disdain so often associated with power."
The move undermines relations between the Conservative Party and the Catholic Church in Scotland. It had been thought the party would build on relations with the church in a bid to grow its own support in Scotland. Bishop Devine last year praised Mr Cameron for his stance on family values. He also urged Roman Catholic voters not to support Labour at the last election.
However, Bishop Devine now claims that Mr Cameron's refusal to scrap the historic law is "the latest sell-out of yet another of his pre-election pledges."
He added: "Six million British Catholics will be unforgiving of David Cameron for breaking faith with them and denying them equality before law."
The 1701 Act of Succession
Bonnie Prince Charlie, the grandson of King James II and the great-grandson of King Charles I, invaded England from Scotland in 1745 with his Jacobite Army. His forces intended to march on London and install him as King, but they only got as far south as Derby before turning back. He was ultimately defeated by the Hanoverian British government forces of King George II at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.
The Act of Settlement of 1701 was designed to secure a Protestant succession to the throne following the Glorious Revolution which saw the Catholic James II flee England.
It strengthened the Bill of Rights (1689), which was created to ensure the succession of James' Protestant daughter Mary, who was married to William of Orange (who was also her cousin), and her heirs.
Following the death of Mary and her sister Ann with no living heirs, the act was designed to ensure the succession remained within the Protestant faith, denying the rights of James' Catholic children through his second marriage.
In 1745 the Catholic Bonnie Prince Charlie, James II's grandson, tried to restore his family's right to the throne but was defeated. Since then, no serious attempt has been made to restore a Catholic to the thrown.
The act was a significant move towards constitutional monarchy, as it gave increased powers to government ministers.
King James II, a Catholic, was the son of King Charles I. Like his father, he tried to rule as an Absolute Monarch.
Protestant William, Holland's Prince of Orange, "invaded" England in 1688, deposed the Catholic James II, and had himself crowned King William III. It was known as the Glorious Revolution. William III was James II's nephew, and was married to James II's daughter Mary, who reigned alongside her husband as Mary II - England's only joint monarchy.
Cardinal O'Brien added: "It is quite ironic that the two parties in coalition have both branded themselves champions of equality but have commenced their 'era of equality' by sending a clear message to the Catholic community that they are to be the exception."
The Act of Settlement was passed by the English Parliament in 1701 in a bid to prevent the Catholic son of James II from becoming King. It extended to Scotland after its unification with England in 1707.
Just 9% of people in the United Kingdom are Catholics.
In a recent debate at Westminster, Cabinet Office parliamentary secretary Mark Harper said: "We do not rule out change. We simply argue that, if there is to be a change, it should be thoughtful, and undertaken carefully and with due consideration for our obligations to the other Commonwealth realms of which Her Majesty is Queen.
"We should also have consideration for the consequences not only for the Crown and the succession but for the position of the established Church in this country."
During the debate, several MPs, including Edinburgh North and Leith Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz, urged the government to repeal the act.
The 1701 Act of Settlement
"The point is that this is outdated, discriminatory legislation that should have been repealed years ago," Mr Lazarowicz told The Scotsman yesterday.
"I can well understand the cardinal's disappointment that the new government doesn't seem to be willing to take this forward with any urgency."
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has also criticised Mr Cameron's position
James II was married twice. His first wife was Anne Hyde, who married James in Breda, Holland, in 1659 before he became king (he reigned from 1685-1688 ). Anne was the daughter of Sir Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, who was supposedly the author of the Clarendon Code, which was passed by the Cavalier Parliament during the reign of Charles II and designed to preserve the supremacy of the Church of England. James and Anne had three children together, two daughters and a son. Their daughters eventually became Queen Anne and Queen Mary II, who were raised as Protestants. A couple of years after Anne Hyde's death in 1671 at the age of 33, James then married Mary of Modena. When people began to fear that Mary of Modena would produce a son and heir (a Catholic son and heir), a movement grew to replace James II with his elder daughter Princess Mary and his son-in-law/nephew, William of Orange. When Mary of Modena gave birth to James Francis Edward Stuart in 1688 at St James's Palace in London a rumour immediately spread that the baby was stillborn and an "imposter" baby was secretly smuggled into the bedchamber in a warming pan (these rumours were most likely untrue). When he got older, James Edward Francis Stuart tried to claim the Thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland, and called himself James III of England and Ireland and James VIII of Scotland. Following his death in 1766 he was succeeded by his son Charles Edward Stuart - aka Bonnie Prince Charlie - in the Jacobite Succession.
Catholic leaders criticise PM for backtracking on act of settlement - Scotsman.com News
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